Kinda funny this post, coming right after you allude to a your hermit-side of self: agoraphobic!
There's a lot of things here I really agree with and have posted about a couple years back. A lot of good points I'd have no trouble getting behind. But the worm is already working away to weaken these ideas. The second these good folks named themselves, set up a nonprofit, erected or rented a building and became a pseudo-corporate entity, they began scrubbing the relationship right out of their community.
I suppose I'm churched becoming less-churched or less impressed with churchianity. Thanks for posting this! D.
Interesting, but there's a lot that I would like to argue, particularly in the generalizations that get tossed around.
I run into that frequently, actually, as people try to tell me "Church says..." or "Church means...", when I say that I attend our church regularly, and like it.
Funny, but if I were to start making blanket statements about something in their life, I'd be considered obnoxiously rude- such as: "Animal activists all...", or perhaps, even more so this year, I could claim to know how ALL democrats, or republicans think on every issue.
Digger -- Yes, I've metioned a few times to my Pastor that I may be Agoraphobic. But the bigger picture is "church" people have hurt me and I struggle with letting people in.
It's interesting that you would state "they began scrubbing the relationship right out of their community," because I think their goal is accomplishing the opposite.
Sailor -- I think the "generalizations" mentioned in the videos (at least the ones in the de-churched video) are very accurate for me personally. True, there are some churches and church people that aren't like the ones mentioned, but, unfortunately, there are a LOT that are.
I am church, dechurched, and rechurched. HA! I was raised in a christian home where church was hard core. A lot of what I was taught, I eventually rejected, partially due to my own experiences, and partially due to the fact that I saw our church hurt people, and I saw my family hurt. I decided that I didn't need church, and walked away. I hit some hard spots in life and tried to return, because God is central to my being--it's all I've known. Crying out to God is what I have been taught to do. But I could never get my heart into a church due to the things I saw.
Finally, I have found a church that I feel has a true heart for the people, and not just the ritual of playing church, collecting tithes, etc. It's a place I WANT to be a part of. Not a place I'm part of out of obligation to God or family.
It's funny, but do you notice a common thread in the comments? I sent these to everyone on my email list, and got similar responses.
"Churched" people tend to be defensive about our little experiment. While "unchurched" and "dechurched" people seem to find a lot that rings true here.
6 comments:
Kinda funny this post, coming right after you allude to a your hermit-side of self: agoraphobic!
There's a lot of things here I really agree with and have posted about a couple years back. A lot of good points I'd have no trouble getting behind. But the worm is already working away to weaken these ideas. The second these good folks named themselves, set up a nonprofit, erected or rented a building and became a pseudo-corporate entity, they began scrubbing the relationship right out of their community.
I suppose I'm churched becoming less-churched or less impressed with churchianity. Thanks for posting this!
D.
Interesting, but there's a lot that I would like to argue, particularly in the generalizations that get tossed around.
I run into that frequently, actually, as people try to tell me "Church says..." or "Church means...", when I say that I attend our church regularly, and like it.
Funny, but if I were to start making blanket statements about something in their life, I'd be considered obnoxiously rude- such as: "Animal activists all...", or perhaps, even more so this year, I could claim to know how ALL democrats, or republicans think on every issue.
Fair is fair, right?
Digger -- Yes, I've metioned a few times to my Pastor that I may be Agoraphobic. But the bigger picture is "church" people have hurt me and I struggle with letting people in.
It's interesting that you would state "they began scrubbing the relationship right out of their community," because I think their goal is accomplishing the opposite.
Sailor -- I think the "generalizations" mentioned in the videos (at least the ones in the de-churched video) are very accurate for me personally. True, there are some churches and church people that aren't like the ones mentioned, but, unfortunately, there are a LOT that are.
I am church, dechurched, and rechurched. HA! I was raised in a christian home where church was hard core. A lot of what I was taught, I eventually rejected, partially due to my own experiences, and partially due to the fact that I saw our church hurt people, and I saw my family hurt. I decided that I didn't need church, and walked away. I hit some hard spots in life and tried to return, because God is central to my being--it's all I've known. Crying out to God is what I have been taught to do. But I could never get my heart into a church due to the things I saw.
Finally, I have found a church that I feel has a true heart for the people, and not just the ritual of playing church, collecting tithes, etc. It's a place I WANT to be a part of. Not a place I'm part of out of obligation to God or family.
I'll have to do some searching to see what they say about over-churched which is what we are (accused of being).
Interesting
It's funny, but do you notice a common thread in the comments? I sent these to everyone on my email list, and got similar responses.
"Churched" people tend to be defensive about our little experiment. While "unchurched" and "dechurched" people seem to find a lot that rings true here.
Seems to me that we may be onto something...
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